Thanks for the Memories

December 20, 2013

I sat in one of the several chairs in the basement of the American Legion. It was Friday night, otherwise known as swing-dancing night. My friends from church were in the basement along with some strangers here and there. I would always come to the Friday night dances, but I would usually stand or sit to the side watching everybody else dance. One of my friends, Jasper, was exceptionally good at swing dancing; he taught me a few basic steps the first night I came there, but every time after that he didn’t have enough time to teach me anymore. It was not as if I wanted him to anyways; after all, I could barely stand the night he first taught me. His crooked yet charming smile and the way his hands were cold yet made me feel warm inside, it was too much to handle again. At a certain time while we were down in the basement, Jasper was teaching a new girl from our church how to do certain moves I could never try. Sitting there alone a random chair felt different for me almost. Usually, Jasper always included everyone in everything. I was indeed feeling a bit left out. The way he smiled at her, the way he laughed when she messed up, it almost made jealousy pop right out of me. I kept it in my mind though. He was my best friend. “Why is he ignoring me?” I was thinking. Looking at them dancing, I just thought to myself why I ever started liking this person. I just sat there stuck in my own world thinking of what it would have been like if I would not have met him. A few of my other friends came by, noticing my quietness, and asked me if I was all right. I simply gave a slight nod, making sure not to show any other signs of what I was really thinking. After a few moments, I heard a loud sigh next to me. Jasper’s brother, Hunter, had apparently been sitting there. He looked at my eyes. He knew. I knew that he knew. I looked at Jasper; he looked the same way, sighed again, and put his arm around me.  “He is a jerk,” Hunter said. I sighed answering “No, he is not.” Hunter held me tighter. Jasper was not a jerk in an entire sense, but I felt as if that a jerk was the only thing he was at that moment.

Unknown date in March

It was a cold, bitter, and windy night. It had just stopped raining yet was still lightly sprinkling a bit. One would think to himself that there was no way they were going outside, but for my youth group it was a different case. We stood outside praying for that very night, and our belief was prayer came any day whether rain or shine. That night my friend Jasper had agreed to come and pray, yet his brother, Hunter, stayed home as usual. He was rather quite excited to see me; I did not know why. It was not as if I had not seen him in months. He stood towering above me as always. I could not get through my head how I had not grown any taller since the past two years. Jasper, the silly yet loveable fool, was shaking from head to toe, as all he was wearing was crocs, along with a regular pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a light jacket. On the other hand, I had on a full winter coat, boots, and gloves. Luckily, Jasper thought of something I had not thought of. The wind was still pretty cold and windy; he had brought an umbrella. He held it above both of us and held me close, for either warmth or just friendliness. Across the small circle everyone was praying was one of Jasper’s friends. He had red hair and green eyes. I had not known his name then and still do not know to this day; he was looking over at us making funny faces. I tried to look like I did not see and was not laughing; Jasper did not see and motioned to his friend to stop. I tried to contain my laughter.  I barely paid attention to the prayer; although I should have, the only thing I could think of was the comforting feeling of his arms around me.

July 31, 2014

It was my birthday. My sixteenth birthday it was to be exact. My dad and my neighbor had just finished building the porch around my family’s new pool. My friends had just started coming as they finished. Jasper and his siblings had arrived first. Jasper came up to me embracing me with a hug. My other friends had shown up in the next thirty minutes. The pool was perfect, the weather was perfect; everything was perfect on my birthday this time. As the party went on, I did not have as much time to relax.  In fact, I spent more time being a lifeguard. I was constantly making sure that someone did not stay under the water for less than a minute; although I had nothing to worry about, I still went around as if someone was going to lose consciousness. Jasper laughed as I hurried around the pool like a hawk. He picked me up as if I weighed nothing and held me. I tried to entangle myself out of his grip as he tauntingly pretended to throw me over the edge of the pool. He laughed as I held on to him like a baby. That joker.